Gas-generator.



'PATENTBD DEG. 31, 1907.

W. KIRKWOOD. GAS GENERATOR. APPLIOATION FILED MAY zo. 1907.

Amm... /4

PA fr ohms. v

WILLIAM KinKWooD, oF oHIoAeo, iLiaNoIs.

I .ons-GENERATOR.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM KIRKwoon, a citizen of the United States, and re lident o1 Chicago, in the county of Cook and 4 tate 'of Illinois, have invented certain newi4 and useful Improvements in Gas-Generators', of which the following isa'ull, clear, and exact specification. l

My invention relates to as generators and particularly that classyv 'ch lare portable and wherein an acid solution is introduced in the, resence of a metallic body to act chemica ly thereon and generate and liberate a gas which ma be used 'to supply burners for calcium.- lig ts, lead burning, br'azmg,"

hard soldering and. other analogous use si In generators heretofore employed, communication between the acid 'chamber and the gas generating'chamber has been solely chamber therefor', withy t e result that the" by means of a ipe projecting through an air` compression-'c amber into the liquid of the,-

acid chamber to such a point 'belowlthe surface of the acid solution, that the; volume of such solution above the free end of this pipe is greater than the capacit of the generating generating chamber is entirely discharged of its gas and the acid 'solution overows into the discharging-hose. IFurthermore` in such structures, the' spent acid solution in the generating chamber 1s stagnant With reference to the acid solution in the'acid reservoir so long as the sup ly from the latterthereto 1s continuous, an luntil `the pressure 'of the gas exceeds that of the air pressure; and the spent 'acid is thereby forced through the pipe connection into the acidreservoirand loWed by the gas, Whichris l fol- ' reservoir, acid-solution is disc arged'out of the air compression chamber .throu h the nelief-valve in the airv sup 1y passage t ereto. .l e The primev object lo my lnvention is to -providetduring the generation of gas., fora continuous circulation of lthe acid solution through the gas .generating chamber, the

materials therein andthe reservoir solution. Further objects of my lnvention are to -provide means automatically preventing spent acid in the gas generating chamber from entering the gas discharge pipes or pas@ sage therefrom; and also for automatically preventing a pressure of the gas in excess of the airpressureand to thereby dispense with any necessity for a relief in the supply passage to .theair compression chamber.

`V A further 'object of my invention is to re.-

v Speccstion of Letters Patent. Application met may 20.1907. serai its. 374.540.

i duce thesize ofthe ratenteanec. 31, 1907.

A gas generating'apparatus and accordingly the Weight, size, and cost of in longitudinal vertical section, a gas gener- Fig. 2 a sectional vieW showing the internalrconstruction of the et-cocks used in connection therewith, and ig". 3, a transverse section on the line3'-3 of Fig. 1.

2.l designates an upright tank or vessel which may be of'any form but is preferably cylindrical andv either lined with or comy sed ofy lead or other acid'v resisting mater rial, ,which tank is provided With a'filling o ening closed by a screw-threaded cover, t e tank being divided into* an acid reservoir 4 and gas generating chamber A5 by :a plate or other form 'of dia hragm (Shaving a closed portion 7 surroun ed by a series of yperforations 8,l which erforations are of sulicient size and num ers for la' `free and rapid circulation of the acidsolution and spentacids therethrough, but small enough 'to prevent the solid gas Agenerating 4sub stance'y 9, supported thereon JfromL dropping into the solution 1-0 in the reservoir 4. Opposing and suspended beneath the closel portion7 of the diaphragm 6 by any suitable means, as for example by burning to the diaphragm, is a tube 11 closed at its upper endl and open at its lower end, which aboutthree-i'ourths'of its de th, and Aas at a closed end, an opening into Which'is burned an air-supply pipe 12.

The air-supply pipe 12 has a short 'horiside of the receptacle whence it vprojects upwardly through the diaphragm and the top ating apparatus ,embodying my invention,`

:tube projects downwardly intok the li uid for of the receptacle andl at yits outer endvby a coupling 13 is connected with a pipe 14 t6 the end of Which is coupled -a rubber hose 15 connected with a forcefpump 16 or other the apparatus as a Whole Without reducing Inv the sai draWings: Figlne l'illustrates'w l Similar characters of reference indicate v .the same parts 1n the igures of the drawings.

point about 'one-third its ength from itszontal portion extending well towards the source of supply for comp1 vwhen `reached is out of the tube and in th -of which for the essed air, the pipe 14 being providedwit controlling the supply of. air tothe tube 11.

Opening into the gas generating chamber is a discharge p1 e 18 on which 1s 4a threeway coupling 19 y which a pressure-gage 20 1s connectedand-also a pipe 21, which forms aniextension of the discharge assage,l to which pipe is coupled aA hose 22 ihr convene ience in conducting the discharged gas to its destination 'for'use, the pipe 21 being-provided with a cock 23for turning 0H and on, ndregulating the supply of gas throughthe [Projectingthrough the sidev of the recepf 'tacle and in level of the acid solution and the diaphragm,

a plane between the normal tends downwardly through theliq-uid toA a point la shortxdistance above the-'bottom of the receptacle. y

Tothe outer end of they pipe 24' is secured a ni ple 25 by'means of ac oupling 26`in-v whic isavalve27. In operation the cover 3 1s until a normal level thereof is ofthe-solutionfrom the pipe 24, the valve27 time being is left oen for this purpose; but the rise ofthe li'q'ui in the tube 11 vwill cease the opening pressure of the column tube. When the closed and after or other solid Igas producing material is inf troduc'ed'into the gas generating chamber, thecover'3` is screwed to' place," and is forced into the tube 11 throughjthe pipe 1'2 from the air-pum l16 or other suitable source until the aci' solution has been forced e reservoir raised rials, which nearly fill thelgas chamber, are entirely submerged'.

' The 'chemical actlon ofthe acid solution upon the metallic substance charges the so.- lution with the saltof that substance, and therefore increases its specific gravity, with the resultthat the charged solution willdescend througl'nthe solution'in the reservoir and thereby maintain'a continuous circula tion romvone chamber to the other, notwithstandingthat the solution in the upper'part of the receptacle is hot as com vared 'with that at its lower end, and that-av cated liquid descends through a cooler liquid, 'and this circulation will continue quite rapidly until the acid becomes spent and which it does muchmore quickly t an when any 'por-'- a cock 17 formaterials 4in the gas mam submerged unti removed and the acid is first introduced' intothe reservoir but ashort' distance below the diaphragm 6, which level indicated by the loverflowV the moment itl rises abovein the airfsup'ply pipe 12 or asv soon thereafter as the of solution above that level ceases to further com-press lthe air inthe air chamber of the proper amount of vacid, so" lution has been introduced', thev'alv'e 2,7 is the desired amount` of zinc"j generating chamber eration -of the level of the solution: untilthesolid mategenerating any salts thatmay tanceja-bove the bottom of. the reservoir.

a more rapid generation of gas is obtained.

As soon as the been forced intothe tube 11 todrive'the acid;

.tion'o the acid solution issta nant,l as itis if in prior structures, and with t e result that proper amount of air has solution therefrom and 'submerg the metallic substance in the gas chamber, the cock 17 is closed and if there is immediate use for the gas, the cock 23 is opened, but otherwise theenerating chamber re# the ressure Vof ,thegas exceeds-that ofthe air, w en this lgas'pressure will immediately commence orcingthe solution out of the metallic substances and" into `the 'tube 11 'until pressure in `the `vtube a established throughout' -the if no gas is being used, this excess of pressure byv the opposing air will continue until all ofthe liquid is forced f '.outyof the materials, v but to ,thel plate 6 which is the level ythe indicated to havewhen no not onl acid solution is uniform fpressure' is l receptacle, and f generation ofgas`is-desi1"ed, or can occur exe ceptzpossibly so much as few moments to acidsjstill remaining in the metallic. v.'subst-ances.

cock 23 is opened and may bedue for av 1 When however the the gas' begins to dis- 'charge-from the pipe 2 1 into the hosec 22., the l pressure of the A'gas willbe reduced land'when so reduced below the pressure, of the? air vin: 4the tube 11, the solutionwill, again rise, into themetal 4substances and the generation of gas continue as before described.

I By my invention the'tube11 1 not only -i vides for measurabl y suing .and xing the:

water-level below the-upper end of the as at afixed and unvarying4 evel'tlierein, but a lorerthere is any pressurethereof liable'toex# means bywhich the,` en-4 4 i gas is'automatically suspende be. v .f

plode the receptacle or any of the pipesthere-A or, and this 1n the entire absenceof the *Ille-"-A cessity ofl relief-valves of any kindy or at any In practice' as soonas the pressure' of air supplied tov the 'tube' 11 is sufficient to discharge all ofthe'liquid thereinand submerge the metallic'substances, the cock 17.is' c lo'se dv and maintained. closeduntil the generationl ofgas ceasesy or the materials l eyed pipes 28-proJect1ng a vslturt dis- 17 ;and 27 are openedv of airisforce'd-into the e acid solution therein` isiv disc arged out of the receptacle through the e Vcover may bel diaphragm 6l cleansed of- The pipe 28 may have both .its ends open but in practice the up er end is closed and the pipe provided with s1 eopenings as indicated' at 29 to better exclude the solid substance from entering and clogging the passage for the liquid. By this plpe connection between the generating chamber and the reservoir,` the solution passing through the ipe is so much heavier than that below'the ower end of the pipe, that the rapidity of 'circulation throug out both the reservoir and-the gas generatingv chamber is correspondingly iii-2 creased. Having Vdescribed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to 'secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. Ina gas-generator' apparatus, the'com` bination of .a liquid-holding reservoir, a gasgenerating chamber, means for supporting gas producing solids in said generating chamber, means maintalnlng circulation of the liqui throughout said res'-,

ervoir and chamber, and 1means whereby anexcess of pressure of gas 'isautomatically neutralized by' an op osmg pressureof. air,

,substantially as descri ed.

2.- In a gas generator apparatus, the combination of a liquid-.holding reservoir, a gasgenerating chamber, a separating diaphragm .therefor provided `with perforations 1n open .communication With said reservoir and chamberand adapted to support solid substances, :and vmeans whereby air under pressure is utilized 'to move the surface of the main body l ofthe liquid upward to contact with 4said substances, `substantially .as described.

3. In agas-generator apparatus, the combination of a'liquidholding reservoir, a gasgeneratingchamber, a'separating diaphra'grri y provided with perforations inopen communicationwith said reservoirand chamber, and supporting solid substances, a 'tube closed at one end, submerged in said li uid,` and pro.-v

vided with van air chamber `in t e'u'pper part a continuous returnthereof, and means supplying air under pressure to 'said tube at or towards the lower end 4 lwell towards lthe bottom of said reservoir provided with a discharge opening in a plane with the normal level of the liquid in said reservoir, means for opening and closing Said opening, whereby in filling the reservoir, the

normal level of the liquid is automatically indicated by its discharge out o f said pipe, and means o r supplying airv under pressure to the reservoir whereby the reservoir may be substantially dischargedof its liquid contents by air pressure above ,atmospheric pressure, substantially as described.

5. 'In a as generator-apparatus, the corn-l bination of a liquid holding reservoir, a gasgenerating chamber, a separating diaphragm.

therefor provided with perforations, a tube an alpipe 'open'a't both ends and projectin therefrom into the liquid of the reservoir an above the diaphragm and forming a passage,

v wherebyheavy liquid is conducted directly from the generating-chamber to near the bottom-of the `reservoir before mixing with. the

contents lof the reservoir.

.t In Witness whereof, I havehereunto set KiiiKwooD. [11.5.] "Witnesses:

M. S. REED'ER,

JNO. lGrT ELLIOTT.

y, hand and alixed my seal, this 15th day q of May A. D. 1907.. 1

'located belowfthe diaphragm closed at 4its up er end, means for supp ying air thereto, 

